OXFORD, Miss. – University of Mississippi alumnus C.
Patrick “Pat” Massey of Birmingham, Ala., has honored the
memory of his mentor Roger Q. Scott with a gift of $25,000
to fund an Ole Miss First scholarship in Scott’s name.
Growing up in Pensacola, Fla., Massey lived across the
street from the Scott family and he said it was Scott who
recruited him to play football at Ole Miss.
“I’ve always been grateful for what Mr. Scott did and have
always been really proud of Ole Miss,” Massey said. “I’ve
talked about doing something for him for years. Now that
I’ve retired, I had the opportunity do something in Mr.
Scott’s name.”
The Roger Q. Scott Sr. Ole Miss First Scholarship is to be
awarded to full-time freshmen who are residents of
Pensacola, Fla., and are graduates of Pensacola High
School. Selection will be based on merit and need.
“We are so grateful for this most generous gift from Pat
Massey and his wife, Jean,” said Jill Waycaster West,
development officer for the Ole Miss First Scholarship
program. “I think it’s wonderful they saw this scholarship
as a way to both give back to the university and honor the
memory of a special and influential person.”
“I remember when Pat went to Ole Miss, Dad was so proud of
him,” said Nancy Faye Scott, the youngest daughter of Roger
Q. Scott. “My father loved to help people and I am honored
Pat gave this scholarship in his name. “My dad would be so
proud. He did love Ole Miss.”
Scott, a veteran of WWI, was born in the Lee County
community of Birmingham, near Tupelo. He attended UM and
played football in the early 1920s. He and his wife, Lucy,
moved from Baldwyn to Pensacola in 1938 when he took a job
as an electrical engineer and manager of retail operations
with Gulf Power Co.
He become a respected member of the Pensacola community,
was active in the Lions Club and played an important role
in youth recreation. He was a member of the Pensacola
Recreation Board for 20 years, serving as its chairman for
many of those years. He also served as president of the
Pensacola Sports Association. According to a 1964 article
that ran in the Pensacola Journal, Scott was considered to
be “a leader in laying the foundation for and expanding the
excellent recreation program that is conducted by the city
of Pensacola.” Before Scott died in 1964, a new athletic
complex in the community was named for him.
Scott’s son William “Bill” Scott also attended Ole Miss and
played baseball for the Rebels for three years in the early
1950s.
“Mr. Scott was head of the youth rec program in Pensacola
and he got me a summer job there,” Massey said. “I was the
softball score keeper and I would umpire for baseball
games, that sort of thing. We had a good time.”
Even though Scott lived most of his adult life in Florida,
he never forgot his Mississippi roots. When he saw an
opportunity to help Massey and other boys in his
neighborhood, including Frank Crum (who went on to play
football with Massey) and Billy Renfro (who played
basketball), attend Ole Miss, he jumped. He wrote a letter
to legendary Ole Miss football coach Johnny Vaught,
recommending Massey for the team.
“Mr. Scott went to Ole Miss and wanted to help other
students go there, too,” said Clay Massey, Pat’s son. “My
dad thought that letter was instrumental in his going to
Ole Miss.”
Massey was awarded a full athletic scholarship and came to
Oxford in 1948. He started at defensive halfback his
sophomore year and was chosen president of the M Club. He
graduated in 1953 with a degree in business
administration.
After graduating, Massey worked for 25 years at Compass
Bank in Birmingham, serving as a loan officer and branch
manager. He is active in his community, serving as
president of the Eastwood Kiwanis club. He and Jean are
members of Mountain Brook Baptist Church, where Pat is a
deacon and where both have held various leadership
positions.
And now, just as Scott helped him, Massey hopes this
scholarship will make it possible for more deserving
students to attend Ole Miss.
The gift is part of the university’s MomentUM campaign, a
four-year initiative to raise $200 million. The campaign,
which ends in December 2008, already has raised more than
$180 million for scholarships, graduate fellowships,
faculty support, a basketball practice facility,
residential colleges and a new law school on the Oxford
campus. Also in the plan is a cancer center at the UM
Medical Center in Jackson.
In the Ole Miss First flexible giving model, donors give
$25,000 to assist one student for four years and are
encouraged to be a part of the leadership/mentorship
initiative with the scholarship recipient throughout his or
her tenure at Ole Miss.
For more information about the program, visit